Pony tail holders and scruchies in particular are generally know in the art, and typically include an elastic core that is covered by a cloth or other material. Upon restriction of the elastic core on the strands of hair, the cloth or material bunches around the strands of hair.
One such example is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,171 which discloses a pony tail holder having a relatively wide fabric ring having a tubular annulus around a central hole. An elastic ring is disposed in the tubular annulus and includes a portion that is readily grasped, such as a knob or bead. By pulling the elastic ring outside of the fabric ring, the elastic ring can encircle and grip the pony tail separately from the tubular annulus.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,696 discloses a decorative pony tail holder for securely holding the hair of a user. The pony tail holder includes a band of elastic material with fabric surrounding the band and forming a plurality of radial projections extending circumferentially around a portion of the band. The pony tail holder may thus be secured to the hair by twisting the elastic band into a generally figure-eight configuration and folding it over itself to provide a tight band securing the hair with the radial projections extending circumferentially around the held hair of the user.
These pony tail holders or scrunchie-type devices have opportunities for improvement. For example, because of the fabric that surrounds the elastic core, the strands of hair have contact with the cloth portion of the holder which may provide less than optimal frictional engagement between the hair and holder to prevent the holder from slipping from the hair in certain situations. Similarly, because of the large amount the cloth that is being bunched between the hair and the elastic core, the retaining force of the elastic compresses the cloth in addition to retaining the hair.